Alexandre Munoz and Rashid Al Dhaheri claimed the key honours in Qualifying 1 for the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) at Spa-Francorchamps, as both groups delivered tight battles around the Belgian venue.
Al Dhaheri topped Group A for R-ace GP with a 2:14.523, beating Championship leader Sebastian Wheldon by 0.090s. However, Group B proved even quicker, as ART Grand Prix rookie Munoz produced a late 2:14.070 to secure overall pole position for Race 1.
The session once again underlined the strength of the 2026 FREC field. Kean Nakamura-Berta, Alex Ninovic, Yuki Sano and several others all remained firmly in contention, while small margins shaped both classifications.
Munoz delivers late Group B pole
Munoz entered Qualifying 1 after a challenging build-up, but ART Grand Prix helped him find the performance he needed when the session mattered most. As Group B reached its final laps, the French rookie pieced together a decisive effort to move ahead of Nakamura-Berta and Ninovic.
“This morning and yesterday were quite tricky in terms of pace, but the team worked really hard to give me a strong package for Qualifying 1 and to make sure we could put everything together over a single lap. That’s exactly what we managed to do on the final run. We delivered when it mattered and came away with pole position, so I’m really happy. I kept learning and gathering information throughout the session. The first couple of laps were quite difficult as we had to manage traffic during the warm-up laps, which made it challenging to get the tyres into the right operating window. But the final lap was a good one, and we managed to put everything together when it counted.”
His final lap changed the shape of the session. Nakamura-Berta had looked set to take Group B honours after setting a 2:14.084, while Ninovic also placed himself in the fight with a 2:14.107.
However, Munoz found the final margin when it counted. His 2:14.070 gave him the fastest lap across both groups and secured pole position for Race 1.
Group B sets the overall benchmark
Group B produced the quicker overall times after a gradual build-up through the 15-minute session. Drivers initially worked through warm-up laps and tyre preparation before the first serious push laps arrived.
Marcus Sæter briefly raised the benchmark with a 2:14.518, going quicker than Al Dhaheri’s Group A pole time. Maksimilian Popov then slotted into contention, before Nakamura-Berta delivered a major improvement to move to the top.
Ninovic soon emerged as the PREMA Racing driver’s closest challenger, while Gabriel Gomez and Reno Francot also placed themselves inside the top five. Nevertheless, Munoz’s final improvement settled the battle and gave ART Grand Prix the top spot.
Al Dhaheri surprised by Group A pace
Before Munoz took overall pole, Al Dhaheri had controlled the key moment in Group A. The R-ace GP driver admitted the result came as a surprise after a difficult Free Practice session, but he and the team found enough performance for the decisive runs.
“Honestly, it came as a bit of a surprise. Free Practice definitely didn’t go the way we wanted, but we managed to put everything together when it mattered. Spa is always a very challenging track because positioning and tyre warm-up are crucial, so getting the lap right is never easy. I think we learned a lot as a team from Zandvoort, and I also learned a lot from Free Practice this morning. In the end, we got the job done and secured pole position, which is an amazing feeling.”
Al Dhaheri’s session built steadily. After the field spent the opening phase preparing tyres, the representative laps began to arrive in the final six minutes.
Jan Przyrowski became the first driver to dip into the 2:14s, before Wheldon moved ahead with a 2:14.613. Yet Al Dhaheri responded quickly, first taking provisional control and then improving again to a 2:14.523.
Wheldon and Sano keep pressure on in Group A
Although Al Dhaheri finished on top, Group A remained extremely close behind him. Wheldon took second for MP Motorsport, while R-ace GP’s Yuki Sano completed the top three with a 2:14.674.
Emanuele Olivieri added further strength to R-ace GP’s session in fourth, just ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Reza Seewooruthun. Behind them, Giovanni Maschio, Jules Roussel and Kai Daryanani all ended within four tenths of the group benchmark.
Therefore, Group A highlighted the importance of timing, positioning and tyre preparation. Spa’s long lap gave drivers only a limited number of chances, and Al Dhaheri made his final effort count.
Munoz and Al Dhaheri set up Race 1 fight
Qualifying 1 at Spa rewarded drivers who managed traffic, tyre preparation and timing across one of the longest laps of the season. Munoz and Al Dhaheri both arrived at the session after difficult or uncertain practice runs, yet both delivered when the margins mattered most.
Munoz will take Race 1 pole after topping the faster Group B, while Al Dhaheri will start from the front on the other side of the grid. With Wheldon, Nakamura-Berta, Ninovic, Sano and several others close behind, Race 1 promises another competitive FREC battle at Spa.
